Summer is at last in full swing, and so are we. We begin July with our feet planted more firmly. Our schedule is coming together, and we are picking up new writers. We’re still tinkering with the site, enabling ratings on posts and comments and a front page that highlights content in a more organized fashion.
June saw a great outpouring of deeply emotive entries. We were pleased and outraged, victorious and shaken, in love and alone. The political sphere mirrored our ups and downs, with a nail-biting lead-up to New York state passing legislation to permit same-sex marriages, followed by a similar passage in Rhode Island.
We’re looking forward to more break-throughs and more soul sharing this summer. Join us!
Sometimes, all it takes is that simple admission: “I have sex.”
Our government is afraid of our sex lives. Given their way, the Right and the majority of our current Congress would deny our right to fuck.
According to our current government, sex outside marriage and procreation is a sin. Birthcontrol is a sin. Abortion is murder. Any steps taken towards making having sex healthier and safer is a sin. And as America’s number one provider of reproductive health services, Planned Parenthood will bear the brunt of these hurtful ideological attacks. Tens of thousands of women (and men) who have relied on their reproductive health services will suffer.
If there is one thing that we’ve learned from the previous election cycle, it is that our votes matter. Our rights as individuals and citizens are being taken away. Congress has already come for our reproductive freedoms. Now they will come for our righttovote and hold municipal elections.
It’s our time to push back. It’s our time to tell others that we are sexual beings. We do have sex. We can’t punish ourselves — and we can’t punish others — by allowing our government to enact an anti-human agenda.
Holmes demonstrates how Charlie Sheen‘s record of lashing out and being abusive toward the women in his life has been tolerated, even affectionately joked about, by the media at large. Part of the problem, she argues, is the sort of women he’s been involved with.
But there’s something else at work here: the seeming imperfection of Mr. Sheen’s numerous accusers. The women are of a type, which is to say, highly unsympathetic. Some are sex workers — pornographic film stars and escorts — whose compliance with churlish conduct is assumed to be part of the deal. (For the record: It is not.)
Holmes goes on to point out how the exploitation and debasement of women has become a normal part of reality TV culture.
Honestly, there are so many great quotes and arguments in this piece, I can’t possibly pull them all.
Quite a while back, I wrote about The State of Wonder Woman as an entity, spurred by yet another costume makeover. One of the sources I quoted said Wonder Woman should just come out as a lesbian already.
Subterfuge reviews ABC Family‘sPretty Little Liars, complete with actresses too old to be high schoolers. Season 2, episode 1, “Moments Later.”
It’s back, and they started with a bang! Technically, last season ended with a bang, too–Hannah being hit by a car.
Here is what is relevant for our feminist readers:
1) Emily told her father she’s gay.
Her father, who has been on active duty for ages and just returned home a few weeks ago, could be a hard-line military man. He goes in to ask her what’s bothering her, thinking it’s to do with a boy who’s gotten himself into trouble. Because he won’t leave her alone, gotta protect his little girl, he can see that she’s afraid of something… she tells him. He sits down on her bed, clearly shocked, and the scene cuts.
Management would like to introduce a segment called Politics and Outrage. This segment will link newsworthy items along with commentary. We SHOULD care about the news. We hope this segment will spark lively discussion in the comments.
This segment will run as often as V will write it for us.
Fox News advocates murder and assassination on air — This is mostly a video, and at first I was only going to show the YouTube link, but I liked what the blogger had to say about the video. Nothing like calls for murder and the stifling of free speech to start your day, right Faux Fox?
Sign of the Devil…or perhaps just encouragement — Apparently, some people (and school officials) in a Utah town dislike the idea of their elementary school kids seeing the word, “suicide” on someone’s signs on their own private property. At first, this makes sense. Until you stop and think for a moment, and realize that even elementary school kids can and have committed suicide before (although perhaps not necessarily for THIS purpose) and the man has his eye on the future — starting positive messages NOW rather than waiting until its already too late.
Has anyone else noticed that the state of today’s anime is bland, having little or nothing to do with politics, or relevant issues of the times, compared to the way anime used to be back in the day?
Have you ever thought that some people take their entertainment too seriously? That, for some reason, they cannot enjoy something as lovely as anime without having to thrust politics, current issues, and other such things? I have had that thought, too. But, I see now where I had not been engaging my brain! Let me explain.
A few days ago, perhaps even a week or so ago, I discussed anime with Roxy. She and I have very similar views and political beliefs. The discussion was really just meant to be light-hearted, an exchanging of views. But, I took it too seriously and it began to quickly irritate me. I won’t lie, it was mostly because at the heart of the discussion seemed to lie my favorite anime as of the moment (and last year or so!). I saw it as dissing my favorite anime, and I kept thinking, “Why does this have to be about such things? Why can’t we just watch something to get away from the real world and politics and current events/issues? Why can’t we just have simple fun with an anime? Doesn’t she realize that this is important, too?” This is just an excuse for my irrationality. I was upset over anime. Anime! I was taking things too personally. This was not only silly, it was ridiculous.
It’s been a while since I put up one of these, but the time has come. I don’t have time to tackle all these and they deserve attention.
1) Bristol Palin‘s run on Dancing With the Stars. First, we wondered who the hell nominated her. Then it was her body and her dancing. Then people accused the Tea Party of rigging the votes in her favor. Now Margaret Cho says Sarah forced Bristol to do it. What are the political implications of all this? What are the ramifications for women?
2) What’s going on with the Bush Tax Cuts? Some people say repeal, some say don’t. It’s an economic clusterfuck. Whatever happens, it will have a big impact on everyone. So will Unemployment Extensions–or the lack of them.
3) So, apparently 2010 was The Year of the Woman. We weren’t informed of this, but apparently it is so. What the fark are they talking about, and does it hold water? And, with 2010 drawing to a close, are women now out of luck for the next 2,010 years? Or are we embarking on a new decade or awesomeness?
In November she was awarded the Mark Twain Award for American Humor.
The Mark Twain Prizerecognizes people who have had an impact on American society in ways similar to the distinguished 19th century novelist and essayist best known as Mark Twain. As a social commentator, satirist and creator of characters, Samuel Clemens was a fearless observer of society, who startled many while delighting and informing many more with his uncompromising perspective of social injustice and personal folly. He revealed the great truth of humor when he said “against the assault of laughter nothing can stand.”
That is a whopping commendation if ever I heard one. Tina Fey stands in great company: Richard Pryor, Billy Crystal, Steve Martin, Bob Newhart, George Carlin, Bill Cosby… Oh, and Lily Tomlin and Whoopi Goldberg. In the prize’s 13-year history, Fey is only the third woman to receive it.
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